Counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals is a significant issue in the healthcare community as well as for the pharmaceutical industry worldwide. For example, according to the World Health Organization, in 2006 the market for counterfeit drugs worldwide was estimated at around $43 Billion. Moreover, the use of counterfeit medicines may result in treatment failure or even death. For instance, in 1995 dozens of children in Haiti and Nigeria died after taking counterfeit medicinal syrups that contained diethylene glycol, an industrial solvent. As another example, in Asia one report estimated that 90% of Viagra sold in Shanghai, China, was counterfeit. With more pharmaceuticals being purchased through the internet, the problem of counterfeit drugs coming from across the borders into the United States has been growing rapidly.
A rapid, non-destructive, non-contact optical method for screening or identification of counterfeit pharmaceuticals is needed. Spectroscopy using near-infrared or short-wave infrared (SWIR) light may provide such a method, because most pharmaceuticals comprise organic compounds that have overtone or combination absorption bands in this wavelength range (e.g., between approximately 1-2.5 microns). Moreover, most drug packaging materials are at least partially transparent in the near-infrared or SWIR, so that drug compositions may be detected and identified through the packaging non-destructively. Also, using a near-infrared or SWIR light source with a spatially coherent beam permits screening at stand-off or remote distances. Beyond identifying counterfeit drugs, the near-infrared or SWIR spectroscopy may have many other beneficial applications. For example, spectroscopy may be used for rapid screening of illicit drugs or to implement process analytical technology in pharmaceutical manufacturing. There are also a wide array of applications in assessment of quality in the food industry, including screening of fruit, vegetables, grains and meats.
In one embodiment, a near-infrared or SWIR super-continuum (SC) source may be used as the light source for spectroscopy, active remote sensing, or hyper-spectral imaging. One embodiment of the SWIR light source may be an all-fiber integrated SWIR SC source, which leverages the mature technologies from the telecommunications and fiber optics industry. Exemplary fiber-based super-continuum sources may emit light in the near-infrared or SWIR between approximately 1.4-1.8 microns, 2-2.5 microns, 1.4-2.4 microns, 1-1.8 microns, or any number of other bands. In particular embodiments, the detection system may be a dispersive spectrometer, a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, or a hyper-spectral imaging detector or camera. In addition, reflection or diffuse reflection light spectroscopy may be implemented using the SWIR light source, where the spectral reflectance can be the ratio of reflected energy to incident energy as a function of wavelength.
In one embodiment, a measurement system includes a light source configured to generate an output optical beam comprising one or more semiconductor sources configured to generate an input beam, one or more optical amplifiers configured to receive at least a portion of the input beam and to deliver an intermediate beam to an output end of the one or more optical amplifiers, and one or more optical fibers configured to receive at least a portion of the intermediate beam and to deliver at least the portion of the intermediate beam to a distal end of the one or more optical fibers to form a first optical beam. A nonlinear element is configured to receive at least a portion of the first optical beam and to broaden a spectrum associated with the at least a portion of the first optical beam to at least 10 nm through a nonlinear effect in the nonlinear element to form the output optical beam with an output beam broadened spectrum, wherein at least a portion of the output beam broadened spectrum comprises a short-wave infrared wavelength between approximately 1400 nanometers and approximately 2500 nanometers, and wherein at least a portion of the one or more fibers is a fused silica fiber with a core diameter less than approximately 400 microns. A measurement apparatus is configured to receive a received portion of the output optical beam and to deliver a delivered portion of the output optical beam to a sample for a non-destructive and non-contact measurement, wherein the delivered portion of the output optical beam is configured to generate a spectroscopy output beam from the sample. A receiver is configured to receive at least a portion of the spectroscopy output beam having a bandwidth of at least 10 nanometers and to process the portion of the spectroscopy output beam to generate an output signal, and wherein at least a part of the delivered portion of the output optical beam is at least partially transmitting through a packaging material covering at least a part of the sample, and wherein the output signal is based on a chemical composition of the sample.
In another embodiment, a measurement system includes a light source configured to generate an output optical beam comprising a plurality of semiconductor sources configured to generate an input optical beam, a multiplexer configured to receive at least a portion of the input optical beam and to form an intermediate optical beam, and one or more fibers configured to receive at least a portion of the intermediate optical beam and to form the output optical beam, wherein the output optical beam comprises one or more optical wavelengths. A measurement apparatus is configured to receive a received portion of the output optical beam and to deliver a delivered portion of the output optical beam to a sample, wherein the delivered portion of the output optical beam is configured to generate a spectroscopy output beam from the sample. A receiver is configured to receive at least a portion of the spectroscopy output beam and to process the portion of the spectroscopy output beam to generate an output signal, wherein the receiver comprises a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer or a dispersive spectrometer, and wherein at least a part of the delivered portion of the output optical beam is at least partially transmitting through a packaging material covering at least a part of the sample.
In yet another embodiment, a method of measuring includes generating an output optical beam comprising generating an input optical beam from a plurality of semiconductor sources, multiplexing at least a portion of the input optical beam and forming an intermediate optical beam, and guiding at least a portion of the intermediate optical beam and forming the output optical beam, wherein the output optical beam comprises one or more optical wavelengths. The method may also include receiving a received portion of the output optical beam and delivering a delivered portion of the output optical beam to a sample, wherein the sample comprises an organic compound with an overtone or combinational absorption band in the wavelength range between approximately 1 micron and approximately 2.5 microns. The method may further include generating a spectroscopy output beam having a bandwidth of at least 10 nanometers from the sample using a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer or a dispersive spectrometer, receiving at least a portion of the spectroscopy output beam, and processing the portion of the spectroscopy output beam and generating an output signal.
With the growing obesity epidemic, the number of individuals with diabetes is increasing dramatically. For example, there are over 200 million people who have diabetes. Diabetes control requires monitoring of the glucose level, and most glucose measuring systems available commercially require drawing of blood. Depending on the severity of the diabetes, a patient may have to draw blood and measure glucose four to six times a day. This may be extremely painful and inconvenient for many people. In addition, for some groups, such as soldiers in the battlefield, it may be dangerous to have to measure periodically their glucose level with finger pricks.
Thus, there is an unmet need for non-invasive glucose monitoring (e.g., monitoring glucose without drawing blood). The challenge has been that a non-invasive system requires adequate sensitivity and selectivity, along with repeatability of the results. Yet, this is a very large market, with an estimated annual market of over $10B in 2011 for self-monitoring of glucose levels.
One approach to non-invasive monitoring of blood constituents or blood analytes is to use near-infrared spectroscopy, such as absorption spectroscopy or near-infrared diffuse reflection or transmission spectroscopy. Some attempts have been made to use broadband light sources, such as tungsten lamps, to perform the spectroscopy. However, several challenges have arisen in these efforts. First, many other constituents in the blood also have signatures in the near-infrared, so spectroscopy and pattern matching, often called spectral fingerprinting, is required to distinguish the glucose with sufficient confidence. Second, the non-invasive procedures have often transmitted or reflected light through the skin, but skin has many spectral artifacts in the near-infrared that may mask the glucose signatures. Moreover, the skin may have significant water and blood content. These difficulties become particularly complicated when a weak light source is used, such as a lamp. More light intensity can help to increase the signal levels, and, hence, the signal-to-noise ratio.
As described in this disclosure, by using brighter light sources, such as fiber-based supercontinuum lasers, super-luminescent laser diodes, light-emitting diodes or a number of laser diodes, the near-infrared signal level from blood constituents may be increased. By shining light through the teeth, which have fewer spectral artifacts than skin in the near-infrared, the blood constituents may be measured with less interfering artifacts. Also, by using pattern matching in spectral fingerprinting and various software techniques, the signatures from different constituents in the blood may be identified. Moreover, value-add services may be provided by wirelessly communicating the monitored data to a handheld device such as a smart phone, and then wirelessly communicating the processed data to the cloud for storing, processing, and transmitting to several locations.
In various embodiments, a measurement system includes a light source configured to generate an output optical beam that includes one or more semiconductor sources configured to generate an input beam, one or more optical amplifiers configured to receive at least a portion of the input beam and to output an intermediate beam from at least one of the one or more optical amplifiers; and one or more optical fibers configured to receive at least a portion of the intermediate beam and to communicate at least part of the portion of the intermediate beam to a distal end of the one or more optical fibers to form a first optical beam. The light source may also include a nonlinear element configured to receive at least a portion of the first optical beam and to broaden a spectrum associated with the at least a portion of the first optical beam to at least 10 nm through a nonlinear effect in the nonlinear element to form the output optical beam with an output beam broadened spectrum. The at least a portion of the output beam broadened spectrum comprises a near-infrared wavelength between approximately 700 nm and approximately 2500 nm, and at least a portion of the one or more fibers is a fused silica fiber with a core diameter less than approximately 400 microns. The system may also include a measurement apparatus configured to receive a received portion of the output optical beam and to deliver to a sample an analysis output beam, which is a delivered portion of the output optical beam and wherein the delivered portion of the output optical beam is a spatially coherent beam, and a receiver configured to receive and process at least a portion of the analysis output beam reflected or transmitted from the sample having a bandwidth of at least 10 nanometers and to generate an output signal. In addition, a personal device comprising a wireless receiver, a wireless transmitter, a display, a microphone, a speaker, one or more buttons or knobs, a microprocessor and a touch screen may be configured to receive and process at least a portion of the output signal, wherein the personal device is configured to store and display the processed output signal, wherein at least a portion of the processed output signal is configured to be transmitted over a wireless transmission link.
In another embodiment, a measurement system includes a light source comprising a plurality of semiconductor sources that are light emitting diodes, the light emitting diodes configured to generate an output optical beam with one or more optical wavelengths, wherein at least a portion of the one or more optical wavelengths is a near-infrared wavelength between 700 nanometers and 2500 nanometers. The light source is configured to increase signal-to-noise ratio by increasing a light intensity from at least one of the plurality of semiconductor sources and by increasing a pulse rate of at least one of the plurality of semiconductor sources. An apparatus comprising a plurality of lenses is configured to receive a portion of the output optical beam and to deliver an analysis output beam to a sample. A receiver is configured to receive and process at least a portion of the analysis output beam reflected or transmitted from the sample and to generate an output signal. The system includes a personal device comprising a wireless receiver, a wireless transmitter, a display, a microphone, a speaker, one or more buttons or knobs, a microprocessor and a touch screen, the personal device configured to receive and process at least a portion of the output signal, wherein the personal device is configured to store and display the processed output signal, and wherein at least a portion of the processed output signal is configured to be transmitted over a wireless transmission link, and a remote device configured to receive over the wireless transmission link a received output status comprising the at least a portion of the processed output signal, to process the received output status to generate processed data and to store the processed data.
Other embodiments may include a measurement system comprising a wearable measurement device for measuring one or more physiological parameters, including a light source comprising a plurality of semiconductor sources that are light emitting diodes, the light emitting diodes configured to generate an output optical beam with one or more optical wavelengths, wherein at least a portion of the one or more optical wavelengths is a near-infrared wavelength between 700 nanometers and 2500 nanometers. The light source is configured to increase signal-to-noise ratio by increasing a light intensity from at least one of the plurality of semiconductor sources and by increasing a pulse rate of at least one of the plurality of semiconductor sources. The wearable measurement device comprises a plurality of lenses configured to receive a portion of the output optical beam and to deliver an analysis output beam to a sample. The wearable measurement device further comprises a receiver configured to receive and process at least a portion of the analysis output beam reflected or transmitted from the sample and to generate an output signal. The system also includes a personal device comprising a wireless receiver, a wireless transmitter, a display, a microphone, a speaker, one or more buttons or knobs, a microprocessor and a touch screen, the personal device configured to receive and process at least a portion of the output signal, wherein the personal device is configured to store and display the processed output signal, and wherein at least a portion of the processed output signal is configured to be transmitted over a wireless transmission link. The system also includes remote device configured to receive over the wireless transmission link a received output status comprising the at least a portion of the processed output signal, to process the received output status to generate processed data and to store the processed data, wherein the remote device is capable of storing a history of at least a portion of the received output status over a specified period of time.